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Karaoke (カラオケ, from 空 kara, "empty" or "void",
and オーケストラ ōkesutora, "orchestra") is a form of
entertainment in which an amateur singer or singers
sing along with recorded music on microphone. The
music is typically of a well-known song in which the
voice of the original singer is absent or reduced in
volume. Lyrics are usually also displayed,
sometimes including color changes synchronized
with the music, on music video to guide the sing-
along.
Karaoke has been a popular form of entertainment
beginning first in Japan, then the rest of East Asia,
since at least the 1980s, and has since spread to
other parts of the world. Karaoke engenders quite a
bit of culture specific to its enthusiasts, and this
culture, unsurprisingly, varies from country to
country.
Karaoke (カラオケ, from 空 kara, "empty" or "void",
and オーケストラ ōkesutora, "orchestra") is a form of
entertainment in which an amateur singer or singers
sing along with recorded music on microphone. The
music is typically of a well-known song in which the
voice of the original singer is absent or reduced in
volume. Lyrics are usually also displayed,
sometimes including color changes synchronized
with the music, on music video to guide the sing-
along.
Karaoke has been a popular form of entertainment
beginning first in Japan, then the rest of East Asia,
since at least the 1980s, and has since spread to
other parts of the world. Karaoke engenders quite a
bit of culture specific to its enthusiasts, and this
culture, unsurprisingly, varies from country to
country.
History
It has been common to provide musical entertainment at a dinner or a party in
Japan, as in the rest of the world, for a long time. This tradition appeared in the
earliest Japanese mythology. For a long time, singing and dancing remained one
of the few adult entertainments in rural areas. Noh was initially played at a tea
party and guests were welcomed to join in for a cheer or a shout of praise.
Dancing and singing was also a part of a samurai's education. It was expected
that every samurai have a dance or a song they could perform. During the
Taisho period, Utagoe Kissa, (literally song coffee shop), became popular and
customers sung to a live performance of a music band.
The karaoke industry started in Japan in the early 1970s when singer Daisuke
Inoue (Inoue Daisuke) was asked by frequent guests in the Utagoe Kissa, where
he performed, to provide a recording of his performance so that they could sing
along on a company-sponsored vacation. Realizing the potential for the market,
Inoue made a tape recorder that played a song for a 100-yen coin. This was the
first karaoke machine. Instead of selling karaoke machines, he leased them out,
so that stores did not have to buy new songs on their own. Originally it was
considered a fad which was lacking the "live atmosphere" of a real performance.
It was also regarded as somewhat expensive since 100 yen in the 1970s was the
price of two typical lunches. However, it caught on as a popular entertainment.
Karaoke machines were initially placed in restaurants or hotel rooms; soon, new
businesses called Karaoke Box with compartmented rooms became popular.
(See below "Public Places for Karaoke" and "Terms of Karaoke" for a description
of karaoke boxes.) In 2004, Daisuke Inoue was awarded the tongue-in-cheek Ig
Nobel Peace Prize for inventing karaoke, "thereby providing an entirely new way
for people to learn to tolerate each other."
Early karaoke machines used cassette tapes but technological advances
replaced this with CDs, VCDs, laserdiscs and, currently, DVDs. In 1992, Taito
introduced the X2000 that fetched music via a dial-up telephone network. Its
repertoire of music and graphics was limited, but the advantage of continuous
updates and the smaller machine size saw it gradually replace traditional
machines. Karaoke machines connected via fiber-optic links to provide instant
high-quality music and video are becoming increasingly popular.
Karaoke soon spread to the rest of Asia and then to the United States in the
1990s. Facilities such as karaoke bars or "KTV boxes" provided the venue,
equipment and software for amateur singers to entertain (or "torture") each other.
Its popularity has spread rapidly to the United States, Canada and other Western
countries. Some people still regard it as "hokey" and simply a method for the
intoxicated to embarrass themselves, but as the novelty has worn off and the
available selection of music has exploded, more and more people within the
industry see it as a very profitable form of lounge and nightclub entertainment. It
is not uncommon for some bars to have karaoke performances seven nights a
week, commonly with much more high-end sound equipment than the small,
standalone machines noted above. Dance floors and lighting effects are also
becoming common sights in karaoke bars. Lyrics are often displayed on multiple
TV sets around the bar, including big screens.
It is also growing in popularity in the United Kingdom, with Martha Lane Fox, the
founder of lastminute.com, helping finance what is being touted as a chain of
upmarket Karaoke venues, called Lucky Voice.
It has been common to provide musical entertainment at a dinner or a party in
Japan, as in the rest of the world, for a long time. This tradition appeared in the
earliest Japanese mythology. For a long time, singing and dancing remained one
of the few adult entertainments in rural areas. Noh was initially played at a tea
party and guests were welcomed to join in for a cheer or a shout of praise.
Dancing and singing was also a part of a samurai's education. It was expected
that every samurai have a dance or a song they could perform. During the
Taisho period, Utagoe Kissa, (literally song coffee shop), became popular and
customers sung to a live performance of a music band.
The karaoke industry started in Japan in the early 1970s when singer Daisuke
Inoue (Inoue Daisuke) was asked by frequent guests in the Utagoe Kissa, where
he performed, to provide a recording of his performance so that they could sing
along on a company-sponsored vacation. Realizing the potential for the market,
Inoue made a tape recorder that played a song for a 100-yen coin. This was the
first karaoke machine. Instead of selling karaoke machines, he leased them out,
so that stores did not have to buy new songs on their own. Originally it was
considered a fad which was lacking the "live atmosphere" of a real performance.
It was also regarded as somewhat expensive since 100 yen in the 1970s was the
price of two typical lunches. However, it caught on as a popular entertainment.
Karaoke machines were initially placed in restaurants or hotel rooms; soon, new
businesses called Karaoke Box with compartmented rooms became popular.
(See below "Public Places for Karaoke" and "Terms of Karaoke" for a description
of karaoke boxes.) In 2004, Daisuke Inoue was awarded the tongue-in-cheek Ig
Nobel Peace Prize for inventing karaoke, "thereby providing an entirely new way
for people to learn to tolerate each other."
Early karaoke machines used cassette tapes but technological advances
replaced this with CDs, VCDs, laserdiscs and, currently, DVDs. In 1992, Taito
introduced the X2000 that fetched music via a dial-up telephone network. Its
repertoire of music and graphics was limited, but the advantage of continuous
updates and the smaller machine size saw it gradually replace traditional
machines. Karaoke machines connected via fiber-optic links to provide instant
high-quality music and video are becoming increasingly popular.
Karaoke soon spread to the rest of Asia and then to the United States in the
1990s. Facilities such as karaoke bars or "KTV boxes" provided the venue,
equipment and software for amateur singers to entertain (or "torture") each other.
Its popularity has spread rapidly to the United States, Canada and other Western
countries. Some people still regard it as "hokey" and simply a method for the
intoxicated to embarrass themselves, but as the novelty has worn off and the
available selection of music has exploded, more and more people within the
industry see it as a very profitable form of lounge and nightclub entertainment. It
is not uncommon for some bars to have karaoke performances seven nights a
week, commonly with much more high-end sound equipment than the small,
standalone machines noted above. Dance floors and lighting effects are also
becoming common sights in karaoke bars. Lyrics are often displayed on multiple
TV sets around the bar, including big screens.
It is also growing in popularity in the United Kingdom, with Martha Lane Fox, the
founder of lastminute.com, helping finance what is being touted as a chain of
upmarket Karaoke venues, called Lucky Voice.